Prep water polo: Marin Catholic boys claim league title

When the Marin Catholic High boys water polo team prevailed 15-14 in overtime against Drake to claim the league championship for the second year in a row on Friday at Tam, it wasn't just the result of a season's efforts, it was the culmination of four years of work for the team's seniors.

"All summer, we were looking forward to this game," Marin Catholic senior David Miramontes said. "We have done swim set after swim set, early morning practices, weekends, practices that were hours long. ... It was just painful, but we knew that moment was going to be worth it, for this game. The entire time, we thought of this game and it finally paid off."

It paid off, but not without some typically dramatic MC-Drake action. Marin Catholic only led by four goals once, and for only 12 seconds.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats (16-8) led 12-9, but goals by Mitch Young and Jesse Kaplanis brought Drake back, and with 5.96 seconds left in the game Marcus Anderson tied it 13-13.

"When you're playing a great team like Drake, you never think it's in the bag," said senior Patrick Eggert, who had two goals in the win.

"It was nerve-wracking," added Stephen Gavney, who led the Wildcats with five goals.

After hoisting the MCAL pennant, the team pulled coach Peter Urmini in the water for a celebratory dunk.

"I'm happy for my seniors, happy for my team," Urmini said. "These guys don't come along very often, and I was just fortunate to be able to coach them."

It was a night and day difference from last week's matchup when Drake (10-4) dominated in a 15-8 victory.

"They got up big on us, last game, and that was a problem. This game, they came out big but we responded this time," Urmini said, adding that the team was way more successful with its 6-on-5 play.

Drake coach Matt Swanson said last week's score was an anomaly.

"It's always a one-goal game," Swanson said. "Every year, it's a one-goal game. Last week didn't mean anything. We knew it was going to be a one-goal game. Last week, we put our shots away and this week we didn't put our shots away. It's kind of like last year, we had a bunch of opportunities and just couldn't put the ball in the cage — their goalie was fantastic."

Six seconds into the first (of two) overtime periods, Matt Power put MC back on top. Drake answered back a minute later, but Thomas Carroll backhanded a shot into the cage with less than 20 seconds left — and neither team would score in the second overtime.

"Drake's such a great program, just every year," Eggert said. "We prepared so much for this game. Our coaches really did a great job making adjustments from the last game. You know, they really showed us up last game, and I was happy with the way my team responded. It was a good team victory."

"It was amazing," Carroll said of the win. "Second year in a row and coming after a really upsetting loss last week, it was awesome."

The team will be without Carroll, Miramontes, Gavney, Eggert, and Daniel Castagnola for the first time in four years next season, and no one is ready to say goodbye.

"I was thinking, my last MCAL game. I'm coming out with a bang," Gavney said.

Both Drake and MC now await Sunday's North Coast Section meeting to see where they will be seeded for next week's tournament.